Page 19 of Blood as Sweet as Roses

Paige

My conversation with the driver puts me in an anxious mood. I have a quick dinner by myself, but when I go to check in on Chelsie, she tells me that her and Sean are taking the night off to recuperate. She’s looking a little pale, and I wonder if I should do the same.

But I find I’m feeling strangely restless, cooped up all by myself in my room.

I take out my nursing textbooks, which have been severely neglected for the past week.

Blake and Amanda always tell me that it’s silly for me to study them, since I’m not in school yet.

But I find it so interesting, and it doesn’t hurt to get a headstart, right?

I’ll have to work while I’m studying, so I might as well be prepared for when I finally go.

Still, my focus is all over the place. I start to wonder about whether Crimson is in the lounge. I didn’t know that the previous vampire leader had just been staked. That must be very complicated for her. Did she know him well? Was she his…heir, or whatever it is for vampires? Did she stake him?

The driver’s words should have put me off completely, but instead, I find myself even more curious. I never thought I would get tangled up in a vampire clan. I’ve always been a goody-two-shoes, normal, boring. But now that I’m in it, I’m intrigued by the complex dynamics of the magical world.

Especially her. Crimson has this powerful, ruthless exterior…

but there’s something soft about her, too.

About the tender way she caresses me. How she explains what she’s going to do, how she checks in with me.

She takes what she wants, yes, but she also…

she caters to my desires. I’ve noticed how she pays attention to me, how she discovered so quickly how I like to be touched.

I didn’t even know I like to be touched that way.

Blake’s done it, of course, and I’ve pleasured myself many times, but…

never like that. I didn’t even know that sex could be like that.

And she said other things…suggested that there could be more that we could do. But I can’t even imagine what else…

I shake my head. I’m clearly not going to get any studying done. I might as well go downstairs, just to check if Crimson is there. If not, I can have a glass of wine and then come back. Maybe take a nice bath and turn in early.

Unfortunately, there’s no Chelsie or Sean to get ready with.

But I find a white, flared dress at the back of the wardrobe that will do in a pinch.

I keep my hair down tonight, but I do a little more make-up than I usually do.

It’s actually really fun. I remember when I used to do my make-up in high school.

Back then, I always did Amanda’s too, and she’d say I could be a make-up artist if I wanted to, although of course I would always get shy and brush off her compliments. I totally forgot about that.

Even if I don’t see Crimson tonight, I’m happy I took a little time to play with my make-up look.

It’s fun, and I genuinely enjoy it. But I wish I had a couple more shades.

Maybe if there’s some money left over after I pay Miles’s next installment, I’ll consider buying myself another palette.

Then I can help Sean and Chelsie, too. It’ll be a nice way to give back, after everything they’ve done for me.

With one final swipe of mascara, I’m finished.

I smile at myself in the mirror, tilting my chin so that Crimson’s bites show clearly in the mirror.

I like the way they look at my throat. I hope that everyone knows that it was Crimson who gave them to me.

The thought sends a thrilling rush through my body.

Unable to wait a second longer, I hurry out of my room and down the stairs. The party is in full swing - it seems like every night here is a full-on celebration. And I’ve noticed that the vampires seem to be rotating. I don’t see all of them every night. I wonder what else they do.

Unfortunately, Crimson seems to be missing.

Her throne at the back of the lounge is empty.

Biting down my disappointment, I take a lap of the periphery.

I’m a little too awkward to dance on my own, and I don’t recognize any of the other living humans.

Should I…try to service another vampire?

I guess that’s my job, but although the other vampires eye me hungrily, none of them approach.

There’s a tingle of pleasure in my stomach. I guess Crimson pretty clearly claimed me as her own.

Well, if I’m not going to work, maybe I can have a drink and try to make some friends.

There’s a row of couches at the center of the lounge where living humans are chatting.

I’m still a little intimidated by the mansion and the heavy atmosphere of the lounge, but this is a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and try to enjoy myself.

With butterflies in my chest, I go over to the couch and catch the eye of one of the living humans there. She waves me over. “Come join us! We’ve got plenty,” she says cheerfully.

I don’t know exactly what she means, but then I see what it is they’re doing, and my stomach drops.

Another man bends over one of the low side table and snorts a line of glittering, purple powder. A moment later, he gets a dopey, dazed expression on his face.

I’ve never seen a substance like that, but I know immediately that I want no part in it.

“Oh, um…no, thank you,” I stammer, moving away from their table.

An overwhelming, tense feeling rises in my chest, and I suddenly feel like I need to get some air. I hurry out of the lounge and down the hallway. I quickly pass by servers and staff members until I find the door that leads outside into the courtyard.

As soon as the crisp night air hits my skin and fills my lungs, I feel better.

I don’t judge anyone who uses substances, but…the images flashing across my mind are too much for me to handle right now.

To distract myself, I wander further outside.

It’s a gorgeous night, the sky crystal-clear, displaying a wonderful tapestry of stars and the slim sliver of the moon.

And the courtyard is stunning. It stretches out wide and open, punctuated by elegant statues of angels and overflowing fountains.

Benches dot the cobblestoned paths, which are lined with shrubs and flower beds.

It’s very quiet out here, and surprisingly peaceful.

There are no lights, but the bright stars and moon cast a pearly glow over the scene.

I find myself wandering through the gardens, enchanted by their beauty.

There’s a corner full of vibrant rosebushes.

The smell is absolutely incredible. I reach down, and carefully take a petal between my fingers.

It’s silky and smooth, not unlike Crimson’s skin.

I wonder if she’s ever been touched before, the way that she touches me…

My fingers twitch at the thought, and I nick the tip of my pointer finger on a thorn. A single bead of ruby-red blood appears on my finger.

Suddenly, an iron fist grips my wrist.

Fear shoots through me as I’m pulled face-to-face with Waylan Night. Before I can even scream, he takes my finger in his mouth and sucks the tiny wound. Red swirls in his eyes as he consumes my blood.

“You’re as delicious as I thought you would be,” he rasps, taking my finger from his mouth. “No wonder Crimson likes you so much.”

I struggle against his grasp, but it’s completely hopeless.

“Let me go!” I beg.

But this only spurs him on. He flashes me his lethal canines. “I don’t think so, breather. You and I have some unfinished business, don’t we?”

I open my mouth to scream for help, but he’s too quick. With his other hand, he grabs me by the throat, his fist tightening against my windpipe. I splutter and try to catch my breath. Instinctively, my other hand reaches out, scratching and clawing at his arm, desperately trying to free myself.

He laughs cruelly as he holds me up in the air. My legs flail under me.

“It’s too late to call for her. I do admire your spunk, though.

It’s such a pity I’ll have to drain you, but I am going to enjoy it.

Don’t worry, I’ll draw it out for as long as I can.

Watch you suffer the way I suffered, locked in that coffin.

I’ll make sure it’s as agonizing for you as it was for me.

I want Crimson to know that I put you through that.

To know your last moments on this earth were your most miserable… ”

Tears fill my eyes. Why didn’t I listen to the driver, when he warned me to leave?

But I knew I couldn’t have gone. I couldn’t have left without seeing her again.

And for some reason, even though it makes no sense, it’s her face I picture in my mind.

Her touch I feel on my skin. If these are my last moments, I want them to be filled with the thought of her.

The thought of the pleasure we shared, the way she made me feel like the most precious thing in the world, the way she cared for me like no one else ever has…

the way she knew me…knew the real me, wild and unrestrained, pure and complete in my desire for her…

I can see her face in my mind, hear the sound of her name…it floats through my mind as my thoughts become incohesive…

Roslyn Night, Roslyn Night, Roslyn Night…

And I fall to the ground, sharply, my hip hitting the hard cobblestoned path.

My eyes fly open, my hands rubbing my aching throat.

Like an angel of the night, Crimson bears down on Waylan, her stake in one fist, his shirt in another. Her eyes are wide, frenzied with fury.

“I warned you,” she snarls. “You bastard, I even warned you…why couldn’t you listen to me…”

“I’ll never bow down to you, Roslyn Night!” Waylan declares.

“So be it,” Crimson hisses. In a swift, decision gesture, she plunges her pointed stake into his chest, burying it deep to the hilt. Blood gushes out from the wound, staining her white shirt and pouring over her fist. Waylan’s body immediately lurches, then goes horribly still.

With a twist, she pulls her stake back out, then tosses his body to the ground. Red drips down the smooth, ebony wood.

She grimaces at me. “That’s why they call me the Crimson Stake,” she says, mirthlessly.

But I have no voice to reply. I stare, wide-eyed, at the lifeless - or staked, I guess - form of the other vampire, slumped on the cobbled path. I’m trembling all over again.

Crimson rubs the back of her neck, closing her eyes. I expect her to give me a smirk, or to make some sort of cheeky quip. But she looks…not quite shaken, but…a little rattled. She puts her stake back in its place at her hip, not bothering to wipe it down first.

“Are you…are you all right?” I whisper, my voice raspy from being winded.

But she doesn’t respond. Her eyes look red around the edges. Shakily, I get to my feet, and step toward her…

Before I can reach her, another vampire appears. He has lanky, blond hair and wears dark clothes. I remember that he interrupted us before.

“Is everything ok?” he asks. “I thought I heard…”

Then he sees Waylan’s body, and he tenses.

“Five minutes, Alin,” Crimson snaps, not looking at him. “Five minutes, then…then go tell the others.”

Alin nods anxiously, then disappears silently back down the path, like a shadow into the night.

There’s something dark in Crimson’s eyes. Something heavy. I can’t imagine what she must feel, after having to end the vampire who attacked me. But…there’s something else in her reaction. Something more complicated.

What’s she carrying?

“You had no choice,” I whisper to her, although I’m not sure if she’s listening. “Thank you…you saved my life…”

“Go back to the mansion,” she says, her voice flat and hard. Her eyes are trained down, at Waylan’s body.

“I can stay with you, if you…”

“Go.”

She doesn’t speak loudly, but her tone is clear. Even though I hate leaving her, somehow I find my feet and I walk back to the mansion.